Triton X-100 Mediated One-pot Solution Phase Synthesis of Au@PtCo/C Nanoparticles with Enhanced Oxygen Reduction Performance in Fuel Cells

Abstract Au doped PtCo/C (Au@PtCo/C) as an oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) catalyst is synthesized using a facile single step solution phase synthesis method with Triton X-100 as a mediator guiding the shape and size of the metal nanoparticles. The spherical shaped nanoparticles of 2–4 nm were uniformly dispersed over the porous carbon support accounting for an electrochemical active surface area (ECSA) of 52 m²/gPt. It was observed that at 0.9V, the mass activity (Im) of Au@PtCo/C catalyst is 0.57 A/mgPt which is 4 times higher in relation to commercial Pt/C catalyst. While evaluating in real time PEMFC configuration under acidic environment, this catalyst delivers a peak power density of 1.33 W/cm² at a current density of 3.43 A/cm² with H₂/O₂ feeds under ambient pressure, thus emerging as a promising electrocatalyst for fuel cell applications.